Superman Returns / The Story and the Players

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=45 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" background="005085a3.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><B>Superman Returns</B></FONT><B>     |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Superman Returns"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <B>Production Information</B></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" background="006d2e83.jpg"> <div> <B> <script type="text/javascript"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script>  </B></div> <div> <A HREF="superman_returns_production.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Superman Returns / Production Informatio"><U><B>Production Information</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="superman_phenomenon.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Superman Returns / The Phenomenon an the"><U><B>The Phenomenon an the Filmmaker</B></U></A></div> <div> <B>The Story and The Players</B></div> <div> <A HREF="superman_metropolis.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Superman Returns / Australia and Metropo"><U><B>Australia and Metropolis / About the Production</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="superman_returns_camera.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Superman Returns / The Physics and the G"><U><B>The Physics and the Genesis Camera</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="superman_returns_3d.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Superman Returns / Cinematic Innovation"><U><B>Cinematic Innovation</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="superman_returns_cast.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Superman Returns / Cast Crew"><U><B>Cast & Crew</B></U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=435 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I>Superman Returns / The Story and the Players</I></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="06836c80.jpg" border=0 width="310" height="456" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <bR> <div> <B>THE STORY AND THE PLAYERS</B></div> <bR> <div> Since mysteriously disappearing from Earth five years before, Superman has traveled to the far reaches of space in search of his past and traces of his family, or others like himself. But, finding a radioactive ruin where Krypton once stood, the man who was born Kal-El returns home, crash landing back at the Kent farm in Kansas. According to Singer, Kal-El, whom the Kents named Clark, is very much a product of his upbringing. “People always ask, ‘which is the costume and which is the disguise?’” says the director. “But in reality both are identities he wears. There’s a bit of showmanship in being Superman, in the way you present yourself. And there’s definitely a character in Clark, a charade he’s putting on to make himself awkward and invisible. But the true Clark Kent is the man who was raised on the farm by Martha and Jonathan Kent. I never wanted to lose that. Even at points when he is awkward Clark, the foundation of Superman is how the character was raised on the farm.” Singer needed an actor who could embody all the qualities of Kal-El, Clark Kent and Superman, who could handle the rigorous physical and emotional demands of the role, and who would be a worthy successor to the late Christopher Reeve. And yet from the beginning he was intent on casting an unknown actor. “However daunting that task may have been to fill the boots of Christopher Reeve, the actor to play Superman couldn’t have the baggage of being a movie star,” says Singer. “I needed someone who represented and looked like the collective memory we all have of Superman.”</div> <div> Richard Donner, who initially cast Reeve, faced the same challenge nearly three decades ago. Whoever plays Superman, says Donner, has “got to bring to life the son of Jor-El. He’s got to bring reality and purity to this character. He’s got to then evolve into a Super Hero. If in any way he is tainted with past references, it would be a major mistake. I think Bryan faced the same conundrum. The moment you associate the actor with another role, you lose the character. To make a man fly and believe it, it had to be an unknown then, and I think today it’s even more true.”</div> <div> Months of searching yielded a tape of an undiscovered actor who had auditioned for a previous Superman film in development at Warner Bros. Pictures. Twenty-six-year-old Brandon Routh had been one of those kids in Superman pajamas “flying” around his childhood home in Norwalk, Iowa. Even on his audition tape, Singer saw in Routh qualities that extend beyond his uncanny physical resemblance to Superman. “Just talking to him I got a sense of his mid-western upbringing and all the classic ideals that come from that sort of childhood, which are the same kinds of ideals that Superman embodies,” Singer says.</div> <div> “Then, of course, there is his physical presence. He looks like he walked off a page in the comic book. Pretty much at that point, he became my first and only choice because I felt confident he could handle all three roles – Kal-El, Clark Kent and Superman.” Though not formally told he had the part, Routh immediately began getting calls for costume tests and physical training. It wasn’t until he found himself in Australia, on the Kent Farm set, that the experience became real. “Walking up to Clark’s room, Kal-El’s room, it was exactly as you would imagine it would be,” Routh says. “My first shot as Clark was walking across the farm yard and I felt it then too. It’s such an all-encompassing experience, playing this character. It’s a big responsibility to be true to Bryan’s vision, and to embody someone that so many people around the world have seen in their minds.” The director’s faith in Routh gave him the confidence to reach deeply into his own character to play the role his way. “Bryan’s passion and enthusiasm for this story was infectious,” says Routh.</div> <div> The first time Routh wore the costume in front of an audience was shooting a scene in the Daily Planet. “If you’re only human, how do you imagine that you’re superhuman?” he says. “How do you play that grandness and goodness? I wanted to be true to everything that has come before, but I also needed to embody the character in a way that would help the crew believe in the character and feel excited about being a part of this film.” Routh’s first scene as Superman had a galvanizing effect on everyone present. “There’s a great heart at the base of this actor and this person,” says producer Gilbert Adler. “That’s what we all responded to in Brandon. He has a great heart. He has a great understanding of human nature, and I think that’s what makes his portrayal of Superman so compelling. He always had Clark down and it took him no time to become Superman.”</div> <div> “Clark comes naturally to him because he is Clark,” says screenwriter Dougherty. “He’s this guy from Iowa who is 6’3” and good looking, but shy and kind of awkward at times.” Unlike the casting of Superman, finding a man to play his diabolically brilliant nemesis took no time at all. Singer directed Kevin Spacey to his first Academy Award (for Best Supporting Actor) for his performance as Verbal Kint in The Usual Suspects. “We wrote the character with Kevin in mind,” says Singer. “Ever since The Usual Suspects we had been looking for something to do together and he is extremely perfect for the role. He has just the right blend of humor and cynicism and, of course, he is simply a brilliant actor.” The most challenging aspect of casting Spacey was finding a break in his intensive schedule on the London stage. “With all of his work at the Old Vic in London, we were forced into a very confined amount of time for him to be in Australia,” says Singer. “I think we had just six weeks with him and we shot everything we needed to and got him back to London in time for his next project there.”</div> <div> “It was a fantastic shoot and a lot of fun,” says Spacey. “Bryan and I had a wonderful experience making this movie and an extraordinary experience making The Usual Suspects. In a lot of ways it was like not a day had gone by and it was so enlightening to see how much he has advanced as a filmmaker in the last ten years.” The two-time Oscar winner (his second award, for Best Actor, was for his performance as Lester Burnham in Best Picture Oscar winner American Beauty) describes his Lex as “much darker, bitter and out for revenge but still with a comic flair. He is the ultimate capitalist. He’s got wide-ranging, hugely complicated evil plans. But at the end of the day, it’s really basic. He just wants his cut.” Lex has spent the last five years in prison, but is released when Superman misses his parole hearing. For his emergence from prison he has arranged a means to a lifestyle in the form of heiress Gertrude Vanderworth (played by Noel Neill, the woman who originated the role of Lois Lane in the first two screen serials in the 1940s and reprised the role in the 1950s television series with George Reeves, replacing Phillis Coates. Gertrude, after whom he names his state-of-the-art yacht, will soon make Lex a very rich widower. “Lex has gone through so many changes and feels that he has been so betrayed that he is now out for revenge,” Spacey describes. “He has been away for a while and Superman has been away for a while, and Lex has a remarkable plan for when they come back together that, of course, involves real estate. As a character, Lex Luthor has always been about property.”</div> <div> After Kal-El’s ship crash lands back in Kansas, he finds many things about his world have changed. The world has moved on, as evidenced by the Daily Planet headline, “Why the World Doesn’t Need Superman,” penned by none other than Lois Lane. “There is nothing stronger or more devastating to Superman than to be told by the woman he loves that he’s no longer relevant in the world and this thing he thought he was destined to be is not really appropriate any more,” Harris says. “Lois has written that people need to move on and learn for themselves and not to rely on having a savior. This, of course, was her way of getting over him.”</div> <div> “The world has forgotten about its savior,” says Chris Lee. “When he returns from his journey, he’s faced with the dilemma of trying to figure out his place in the world – now that he’s been gone for so long and Lois has so publicly proclaimed why the world doesn’t need him. And, as usual, mothers always have the best advice.” Martha “Ma” Kent, Clark’s adoptive mother, is played by film legend Eva Marie Saint (North by Northwest, On the Waterfront). Martha is overjoyed to have her son back, but also sees clearly that his fate lies elsewhere. “Throughout his childhood, his parents told him that he had to do good things with the power that he had,” says Saint. “But he is discouraged when he comes back and needs her to boost him up enough to give him the confidence to go back and be Superman.” Saint, who won an Oscar for her performance in On the Waterfront opposite Marlon Brando – Superman’s cinematic father, Jor-El – had the unique experience of playing a role that impressed her grandchildren. “I was very happy to do the movie because it’s wonderful to keep working; that’s what I do,” she says. “But when my three grandchildren found out, their first reaction was a collective ‘that is so cool.’ They told all their friends about it, too. Good for business. Right?” Saint credits Singer for guiding her through an emotionally and physically charged scene in which Ma Kent discovers the burning wreckage of her adopted son’s spaceship. “That was a long night of filming,” recalls Saint, “but Bryan has such patience and good instincts and lets his actors explore and try different things. I think you really see the love between a mother and her only child. It seemed natural to be a loving mother to Brandon Routh, who is a dear young man and a gifted actor.” Saint adds, “My favorite dream is flying, and I secretly hoped that I could fly with Superman. However, it’s still a dream.”</div> <div> Heading back to Metropolis, in his bespectacled Clark Kent persona, Clark soon comes to the uncomfortable realization that his old friend, rookie photographer Jimmy Olsen, is the only one who really noticed he was gone. “Jimmy thinks Clark has been hitchhiking around the world all this time,” says Sam Huntington, who plays the cub photographer. “So, he has this whole conversation with Clark about places where he thinks he’s been and Clark hasn’t been to any of them.” Jimmy is also the first one to break the most devastating news of all to his old friend. Lois, the love of his life and human connection he most needed, is now engaged and has a son, Jason, played by newcomer Tristan Lake Leabu. “That’s an obstacle stronger than Kryptonite,” says Singer, “and one that’s harder to navigate through, and therein lies the emotional core.” “So, he is completely an outsider again,” adds Routh, “after he has come back to the one place where he thought maybe he wasn’t an outsider.” To portray the embodiment of a character almost as universally known as Superman himself, Singer needed a young actress that could bring to bear both Lois’s trademark intelligence and wit and also the added layers of growth and hardening that has come with her years of waiting for Superman. The answer came by way of Singer’s old friend and collaborator Kevin Spacey. In 2004, Spacey directed and starred in a biographical film about 1950s singer Bobby Darin that co-starred Kate Bosworth as Sandra Dee. “I was lucky enough to see an early screening of Kevin’s Beyond the Sea and I was just blown away by Kate’s portrayal of Sandra Dee,” Singer recalls. “Kevin had told me she was terrific to work with so I had her come in and read with Brandon. It was pretty clear that they had a real immediate emotional connection and we all thought she would make a wonderful Lois Lane.”</div> <div> “What a privilege it was for me to do this film,” says Bosworth, who first shot to international attention as the spirited female surfer in Blue Crush. “I felt a huge responsibility and a great amount of pressure just because everyone in the world knows and loves these characters so much. In this film they have progressed and you really get to see their inner life, so it was therefore so much fun to play. I think the fans are going to enjoy Lois and Superman back together on the big screen.”No sooner is he back than he learns that Lois is in peril – a shuttle is being launched from the back of a jet, with Lois among those on board. “They first see each other when the world sees for the first time that Superman has come back,” says Routh. After a breathtaking rescue involving hundreds of tons of burning metal careening through space and nearly crash-landing in a baseball stadium, Lois and Superman set eyes on each other for the first time in five years. “Superman has landed the plane,” Routh describes, “and he steps in the door to make sure all the people are all right, and makes eye contact with Lois. That’s a pretty powerful moment between the two of them. It’s very short. They don’t say much at all to each other. But there is an unspoken connection between them. She doesn’t turn away from him. So, even though she has written this article about him, he knows there’s hope.”</div> <div> He also forms a connection with Lois’s young son, who has never experienced the world with Superman in it. One person who doesn’t hide his joy at the return of Superman is Daily Planet editor Perry White, played by veteran actor Frank Langella (Dracula). “It doesn’t matter whether you’re seven or 70, when a hero comes back into your life it really runs up the back of your neck,” says Langella. “It’s a universal thrill when someone of this epic, iconic stature comes back into your life. What an extraordinary thing to have these kinds of heroes.” But, on a more practical scale, “Perry White is concerned about his paper and its circulation, so he’s very happy that Superman is back because it means that the paper will have Superman exclusives again and will therefore sell,” Langella adds. “Very happy indeed.”</div> <div> Sam Huntington, this film’s Jimmy Olsen, is a lifelong Superman fan and got the added thrill of playing a scene opposite Jack Larson, who originated the Jimmy Olsen role in the ‘50s television series. “Jack is an icon to me, and it was an honor to play not only opposite him but as the character that he originated,” Huntington says. “He also tells the best stories about how his life was affected by portraying such a famous character. The whole experience for me as an actor and a Superman fan was a dream come true.”</div> <div> In addition to all the more familiar characters, Superman Returns introduces two new personae to the Super Hero’s universe: Lex Luthor’s sidekick Kitty Kowalski, played by Parker Posey; and Richard White, Perry White’s nephew and Lois’s fiancée, played by actor James Marsden. Kitty Kowalski, while not a “bad guy” herself, has certainly fallen in with a few and gets more than she bargained for when she becomes a key player in the plot to destroy Superman. “Kitty loves the lifestyle that Lex can offer her,” says Posey, the acclaimed star of such films as Personal Velocity, Best in Show and The House of Yes. “She also loves the humor and even the deviousness of Lex,” Posey continues. “But the whole experience definitely becomes more serious and grave than Kitty ever imagined, and she ends up clinging for her life to this little inherited dog.”</div> <div> “Parker brings incredible dimensions to Kitty, who is spiritually related to the first and second film’s Miss Tessmacher,” says Singer. “And like Tessmacher, Parker’s Kitty is both fun and cheeky and a great foil for Lex, but Kitty also has somewhat of a conscience, which Lex definitely doesn’t have.” Richard White, an assistant editor at the Daily Planet, is engaged to Lois and the man Lois’s young son Jason calls “Daddy.” “Richard White is a new character to the Superman universe,” says Marsden, who played the Super Hero Cyclops in Singer’s X-Men films and reprises the role in this year’s X-Men: The Last Stand. “It was interesting working with Bryan on a totally different kind of role. It was really cool to get to create the guy that may or may not come between Lois and Superman.”</div> <div> “It’s not that Richard is a bad guy – he’s a great guy – but is he right for Lois?” asks Routh, before answering with a smile: “No, because Superman is.” As Superman struggles to find a way to reconnect with Lois, “The other part of his journey,” Routh adds, “is learning to accept his responsibility, his destiny, to be Earth’s greatest protector.” In thrilling and exhilarating trips around the globe, he thwarts evil wherever he is needed. The world rejoices in the return of the Super Hero many had forgotten existed. But his greatest test will come in the form of Lex Luthor’s latest and most diabolical plot against not only Superman but all of humankind, which will at once test his faith in humanity and his ability to overcome any obstacle his enemies throw in his path.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> This website is created and designed by MovieGrande International, 2006</div> <div> This is an unofficial website with educational purpose. All pictures, and trademarks are the property of their respective owners and may not be reproduced for any reason whatsoever. If proper notation of owned material is not given please notify us so we can make adjustments. 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